Former NASCAR Driver Rusty Wallace Signs On With ESPN/ABC

Recently-retired NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace will become the lead auto racing analyst for ESPN/ABC Sports when the nets return to televising NASCAR in ’07. Wallace this season will report from at least 20 NASCAR races for “SportsCenter,” beginning with the Daytona 500. He will also be an analyst for the ’06 IRL season, including the Indy 500, and will serve as analyst for ESPN2’s upcoming daily motor sports series (ESPN). Wallace: “I’m going to be a little bit edgy. I’m going to tell the truth. I want to get into the nuts and bolts of things. Basically, I want to educate the world about NASCAR and about IRL. ... I’m going to try to bring more in-depth interviews to it, things that the fans have not seen enough of” (ESPNews, 1/25). Fox NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip said of Wallace, "The IRL needs guys like us to help tell their story, because they've got a good one to tell. Rusty will be good, and I'm happy for him because this will help get him ready for (2007)" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/26).